Are Heroes Always Tragic Characters?

F. Scott Fitzgerald believed heroes were tragic characters, no doubt a belief that was the expression of a post-World War I mentality: 


 I don't agree. 

I can think of many heroes that do not lend themselves to a tragic interpretation of their lives. Or heroins. Think of Florence Nightingale, the 'Lady with the Lamp' because she made rounds of the wounded at night, during the Crimean War:

Or Mother Teresa of Calcutta, here with the poor: 


Both inspirational lives! And I'm sure there are many more...How about you, can you think of uplifting heroes that would never fit into a tragedy?

 Thanks to Amanda Patterson for sharing this literary quote on Facebook.

Comments

Unknown said…
Great quote Claude, I cannot think of one women who during wartime will have not gone through drama and experienced tragedy. The examples used are quite amazing and they have all earned their place in the stars. It's difficult to do a good turn without standing on something.
August 20, 2013 at 1:15 PM
Jack Durish said…
I believe that heroic characters appear tragic when their admirers discover that they aren't heroic all of the time. Look at the great heroes of the Bible: Noah, Moses, David, et al. They all succumbed to their mortality. Noah: A falling down drunk. Moses: Angered God so badly that he was denied entry into the Promised Land. David: Fell victim to his lust for a woman. That is why we should celebrate the heroic act and not the hero.

Florence Nightingale and Mother Teresa demonstrated a far gentler form of heroism than someone who places themselves in the line of fire. Thus, the difference between their heroic acts and their ordinary lives is negligible and more sustainable, though no less heroic.
August 20, 2013 at 5:18 PM
Anonymous said…
We are all capable of heroic acts. That doesn't necessarily make us heroes. Not only that, how is an heroic act defined?
August 20, 2013 at 6:22 PM
Claude Forthomme said…
Thanks for your comments, I can see you all thought about it, Jm Bob, Jack Durish and emandyves...

True, a heroic act is an outstanding act so therefore you are arguably "standing on something", presumably somebody's head!

A heroic act however need not be out of line with someone's "normal" life as the two people I mentioned: they were heroins at all times, in and out of their "normal" lives - therefore no tragedy involved here.

I sense you see a difference between a hero and an heroic act - this is something I'm not sure about. My impression is that the heroic act is the outreach, the "summit" if you will, of one's life and one's character/disposition towards others. So there's no real difference - merely a continuation that probably cannot be sustained throughout one's life...

But I could be wrong!
August 20, 2013 at 9:40 PM
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